How to manage RV humidity and condensation

If moisture caused by humidity goes unchecked in an RV, it can lead to serious problems like mold, rot, or rust. The good news is that easy solutions can help manage your RV’s humidity. Humidity itself isn’t the problem. However, the resulting condensation can become a nightmare. When temperature changes affect the amount of moisture in the air, it results in water build-up on the surfaces of colder objects.

Moisture in your RV can collect on windows, window seals, window panes, metal objects – or anything in the RV that can maintain a colder temperature than the air. If you don’t handle the water build-up properly, it can create mold, cause wood to rot, metal to rust, or lead to more severe problems. There are easy solutions to help manage the condensation in your RV. Let’s dive into four ways to manage RV humidity, so you avoid bigger issues down the road.

RV mold prevention tips

1. Use a weather station

Weather stations can give you a much better idea of how much humidity you have in your RV, which can be useful when trying to manage the RVs humidity and resulting condensation. According to AdvancedRVs.com, a good rule is to maintain an RV humidity level between 30 and 50 percent. If you have a weather station in your rig, you’ll have a precise reading of where your levels are at.

2. Use RV moisture control products

If you find yourself getting out of the ideal range, you can use these RV moisture control products to lower the humidity level.

Dehumidifiers

We accidentally stumbled onto our dehumidifier. During our RV renovation, we discovered a massive leak coming from the roof. Before we repaired it, we needed to remove all the water soaking into the ceiling for who knows how long. Learn more about how RV insurance covers water damage.

We rented an industrial-style dehumidifier that pulled in a ton of water, but the daily rental started to add up quickly. That’s when we decided to purchase our own. The dehumidifier we ordered can hold up to 30 pints. It did a great job of pulling water from our ceiling, and it’s been helping us weekly to keep the humidity at bay.

When our windows get foggy, or our humidity levels get higher than we like, we roll out the dehumidifier and put it to work to help with moisture control in our RV. You might be asking yourself, how will I store that huge thing? It can be a hassle but rest assured, there are much smaller ones you can use if you’d like. If you are worried about the size, you may want to consider a more compact and eco-friendly dehumidifier.

Moisture absorbers

Moisture absorbers come in many forms and sizes and can be extremely budget-friendly. Not all moisture absorbers are environmentally friendly, however. You can purchase specific products such as DampRid. You can also repurpose other items, such as the small silica packets in shoe boxes, electronics, and new clothing. We recommend that if you use DampRid or a similar product, ensure that it has a safety cover. These products contain hazardous chemicals that are harmful to pets, children, and even ourselves if mishandled. If you have cats, you may want to try using litter as a moisture absorber.

3. Ventilate your RV

Ventilation can be a great way to help keep condensation in your RV from forming and controlling moisture in an RV. There are several different ways to ventilate your RV, but the best practice would be to do them all when you can.

• Crack a window
• Cook with lids on pans
• Open rooftop fan/vents when cooking or showering

4. Switch out single-pane windows for double pane

If you’re ready to take on RV humidity and condensation with full force, you can always change your single-pane windows for double-pane. Replacing windows takes more investment than the other options but could reap huge rewards.

By upgrading to double-pane windows, you’re keeping the inside window at a warmer temperature. One of the main reasons condensation forms is due to differences in air and material temperatures, so this could go a long way in your battle. Double-pane windows won’t eliminate condensation, however, they will better insulate your RV while lowering condensation.

At the very least, you’ll be able to maintain the interior temperature of your RV a lot easier, which can come in handy during the summer or winter. We currently have single-pane windows but would love to upgrade them in the future.

Overall, we’ve successfully used our weather station and our dehumidifier to manage humidity in our RV. The key here is to do as much research as possible to find the best tools to help you manage RV humidity. Learn how to winterize your RV.